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Institute of Medicine elects Palmer as member

Dr. Guy Palmer has become one of the few veterinarians who are members of the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine.

The institute's mission is to serve as adviser to the nation to improve health. Current members elect new members on the basis of professional achievement and commitment to service.

Dr. Palmer is a professor at the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology.

Dr. Palmer's research has explored what allows some pathogens to persist in a host long after the initial infection, which interactions between a pathogen and its vector lead to efficient transmission and infection, and novel ways of producing vaccines to combat pathogens whose changeable nature makes them moving targets for a host's immune system.

In recent years, Dr. Palmer has focused primarily on the infection biology of Anaplasma marginale, a prevalent tickborne bacterial pathogen of cattle. Anaplasmosis causes millions of dollars of losses for owners of cattle herds, particularly in tropical regions but also in the United States and Canada.

Dr. Palmer is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and a 1980 graduate of Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine.